From the Kneeling Moai to Broiled Tuna
The only anomalous statue was the “kneeling moai”. No one knows why it is postured the way it is. We soon were back in the VW van for a ride to the crater from which the head dresses were carved out of a red rock. The grassy hillside makes you want to roll down like logs, like kids. In the crater lies a lake lined with reeds. We realized in seeing Easter Island with this 360 degree view, that it was pretty small. Back to Hanga Roa we trundled, just in time to see the yellow fin tuna macheteed into steaks, on a piece of old plywood. That whet our appetite to find the nearest restaurant….the only restaurant. We were the only tourists on the island! No one else was there, only the four of us with our lousy Spanish. We ordered “atun” and lemonade. The owner/cook/waitress went back to the kitchen and immediately a little boy of four or five ran out the back door and up the road towards the yellow fin hacker. Soon he was back with something wrapped in a baggie. It sizzled in the kitchen and soon we were treated to broiled tuna steak with mayo and a little coleslaw of some kind. The lemonade hit the spot and the fresh tuna was great because I didn’t have to cook it. All boat cooks really appreciate a break!
Easter Island is at 27 degrees south latitude which is farther away from the equator than Hawaii therefore the sunsets linger longer. We wanted to stay on the island after dark but our better judgment told us to hit the breaking seas outside of the boat harbor in the light, so we did. Behind us the lights in Hanga Roa burned a hundred little halos through the mist and much later the local rock band took up its guitars and the young locals began their partying at the bar. We checked the anchor, the fathometer, the weather faxes and listened to the ham radio for a while. I was still mentally pinching myself for actually being here at Easter Island. It was unreal.
Labels: crater, Kneeling moai, Steve and Holly with Major Moai
